An automated packaging and sales system and a method for controlling the packaging and sales of ready-to-eat products.

Abstract

This invention discloses an automated packaging and vending system and a control method for the packaging and vending of ready-to-eat products, belonging to the field of automated vending equipment and IoT management technology. The system consists of hot-melt packaging equipment, vending equipment, and a cloud-based management server, all interconnected for data exchange. Factory-side equipment completes standardized hot-melt packaging of goods; the vending equipment stores multiple product categories in designated areas, is equipped with a two-way dispensing mechanism, and features temperature control and advertising display functions; the cloud server monitors inventory and equipment status in real time, automatically scheduling replenishment and adjusting parameters to achieve integrated closed-loop management of production and sales. This solution features a high degree of automation, simple operation and maintenance, and high dispensing efficiency, making it suitable for large-scale packaging and multi-point automated vending scenarios for ready-to-eat products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the fields of automated vending equipment and intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) control technology, specifically to an automated packaging and vending system and a control method for the packaging and vending of ready-to-eat products. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, ready-to-eat products are mainly sold through offline stores, mobile vendors, and traditional vending machines. Traditional vending machines are mostly stand-alone operations, with inventory checks, restocking, and equipment maintenance all relying on manual operation. This not only results in high operating costs but also poor restocking efficiency. Furthermore, traditional machines have a simple dispensing structure, can only accommodate a limited variety of products, and have a fixed dispensing model, failing to meet the display and sales needs of diverse ready-to-eat product categories. Moreover, data from the production and sales ends are isolated, preventing production-sales linkage and making it difficult to adapt to modern, large-scale ready-to-eat product sales operations. Summary of the Invention

[0003] 1. Purpose of the invention To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an automated packaging and sales system and a control method for the packaging and sales of ready-to-eat products, enabling integrated management and control of the entire process from product packaging production and automated terminal sales to remote equipment operation and maintenance. The equipment adopts a design with multiple sets of one-to-one corresponding storage units and shipping units. Each shipping unit is equipped with an actuator capable of forward and reverse shipping, allowing for the sale of multiple products in groups. This enriches the product range, improves shipping efficiency, and reduces labor operating costs.

[0004] 2. Technical Solution (1) Automated packaging and sales system This system mainly consists of three parts: hot melt pressing and packaging equipment, vending equipment, and cloud management server. The overall architecture adopts factory production, point-of-sale, and centralized cloud management.

[0005] Hot melt packaging equipment is installed in the product manufacturing area. Its core function is to perform standardized hot melt pressing and flipping packaging operations on various ready-to-eat products, producing standardized finished products to support a variety of product sources for various retail outlets. The equipment includes a material conveying mechanism, a flipping and packaging mechanism, and a hot melt pressing mechanism. The flipping and packaging mechanism can perform horizontal flipping operations on ready-to-eat products, working in conjunction with the hot melt pressing mechanism to complete the synchronous sealing of the upper and lower packaging materials, ensuring the airtightness and consistency of the packaging.

[0006] The vending machines are installed in various public places and sales points. Each machine is equipped with an advertising display screen, multiple corresponding storage and dispensing units, and heating and insulation components. The advertising display screens can continuously play product introductions, promotions, and sales announcements. Each storage unit independently stores one product, with no interference between units, allowing for categorized display. Each dispensing unit is equipped with a reversible dispensing mechanism, including a drive motor and transmission components. The drive motor is controlled by a PLC program to switch between forward and reverse rotation, and the transmission components at both ends complete the product conveying action, realizing dispensing. The heating and insulation components uniformly control the internal temperature of all dispensing units, ensuring the taste and quality of all products. Each dispensing unit can start dispensing independently according to order instructions, or multiple units can operate simultaneously to complete synchronized dispensing, adapting to different order needs.

[0007] The cloud-based management server serves as the core control hub of the system, communicating in real-time with packaging equipment at the factory and all terminal vending machines via the network. The server includes modules for order processing, inventory monitoring, production scheduling, and equipment maintenance. The order processing module receives user orders and distributes them to the corresponding vending machines. The inventory monitoring module collects real-time inventory data from each inventory unit and sets early warning thresholds. The production scheduling module sends replenishment instructions to the factory control center based on inventory warning data, and staff activate the hot-melt packaging equipment to complete the product packaging operation. The equipment maintenance module remotely controls the insulation temperature, advertising content, and shipping logic of the vending machines. The server uniformly aggregates order data, equipment operation data, inventory data from each inventory unit, temperature data, etc., determines the inventory status of various products based on the data, and sends corresponding replenishment and scheduling instructions to the factory, breaking down data barriers between the production and sales ends and achieving closed-loop linkage control throughout the packaging, delivery, and sales process.

[0008] (2) Control methods for the sale of ready-to-eat product packaging A control method applied to the above-mentioned automated packaging and vending system has the following specific operating steps: S1. Data Acquisition and Order Receiving: The cloud-based management server receives purchase orders submitted by online and offline users in real time. At the same time, it periodically polls and collects data from the PLCs of each vending machine to understand the remaining inventory, real-time temperature, overall operating status of the equipment, and product storage time of each inventory unit, and completes unified aggregation. The cloud-based management server also generates a product quality assessment report based on temperature zone status data. When the product storage time exceeds the preset threshold, it issues a product replacement instruction to the corresponding equipment.

[0009] S2. Automatic Replenishment Scheduling: The system pre-sets inventory warning thresholds for each inventory unit of each vending machine. The cloud compares real-time inventory data with the thresholds. When it detects that the inventory of any corresponding product in any inventory unit is insufficient, it immediately issues a replenishment task for the corresponding product category to the factory. Factory operators use hot melt packaging equipment to complete standardized packaging of the products and then deliver the finished products to the corresponding shortage points to replenish the supply.

[0010] S3. Remote Integrated Equipment Management: The cloud-based management server continuously monitors the operating status of all terminal devices. Combining multi-dimensional data such as order flow, channel temperature, equipment parameters, and advertising content, it remotely adjusts the equipment insulation temperature, advertising display content, and the shipping logic of each group of shipping units. The cloud-based management server dynamically adjusts the insulation temperature of each vending machine based on order flow data, increasing the insulation power during peak order periods and decreasing the insulation power during off-peak order periods to achieve energy-saving operation, ensure stable equipment operation, and ensure that all categories of goods are in a qualified and ready-to-sell state.

[0011] S4. Data Feedback and Inventory Update: After receiving the delivery instruction, the vending equipment drives the actuator of the corresponding delivery unit to complete the delivery action. After the delivery is completed, the PLC automatically uploads the delivery record to the cloud management server. The server automatically deducts the inventory of the corresponding inventory unit based on the delivery data, completing a data loop. The system continues to run in a loop.

[0012] 3. Beneficial effects Compared with existing technologies, the present invention has the following advantages: This invention constructs an integrated architecture of factory packaging, terminal sales, and cloud management, breaking down data silos between the production and sales ends, realizing production and sales linkage, effectively reducing manual intervention, and lowering overall operating costs.

[0013] The terminal vending equipment adopts a design with multiple sets of one-to-one corresponding storage units and delivery units. Each delivery unit is equipped with an actuator that can deliver in both forward and reverse directions, and can display a variety of ready-to-eat products at the same time, making the product category adaptable to a wider range. It supports single or multiple sets of simultaneous delivery, resulting in higher delivery efficiency and the ability to cope with sales scenarios with high traffic and concentrated orders.

[0014] The cloud server can remotely manage and control all terminal devices and each shipping unit in multiple dimensions, covering functions such as insulation, advertising, shipping, inventory, and equipment maintenance. The equipment management is convenient and highly automated.

[0015] The entire process features real-time data interaction and automatic updates, enabling accurate statistics on the sales and inventory of each product. It also allows for dynamic monitoring of product quality. The system operates with stable and reliable logic, making it suitable for large-scale promotion and operation of ready-to-eat products across multiple locations. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the packaging machine structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; wherein, 1 is the frame, 2 is the multi-axis tray taker, 3 is the packaging material rack, 4 is the upper mold, 5 is the lower mold, 6 is the flipping frame, and 7 is the receiving frame.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vending machine structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; wherein, 1 is the outer cover, 2 is the panel, 3 is the dispensing shelf, 4 is the storage shelf, 5 is the base, 6 is the dispensing conveyor belt, and 7 is the storage conveyor belt.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cloud-based collaborative system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present invention; wherein, 10 is a packaging machine (factory production end), 20 is a cloud server (network cloud), 301~306 are vending machines (product sales end), and 301-306 are exemplary multiple vending machines, the number of which can be adjusted according to the location requirements in actual applications. Detailed Implementation The automated packaging and vending system provided in this embodiment consists of a factory-side hot melt pressing packaging equipment, multiple vending machines deployed at different locations, and a cloud-based management and control server. The devices interact with each other in real time via a network.

[0019] Within the production plant, the hot-melt pressing and packaging equipment follows a standardized process to complete the hot-melt packaging of various ready-to-eat products. A flipping packaging mechanism horizontally flips the products, working in conjunction with the hot-melt pressing mechanism to seal the packaging, ensuring consistent packaging specifications for all products. The packaged products are then categorized and distributed to various retail outlets. Each vending machine contains multiple independent, one-to-one corresponding storage and dispensing units. Each storage unit stores only one type of product, and all dispensing units are equipped with a standardized heating and insulation structure. Each dispensing unit features a reversible dispensing mechanism, allowing it to independently complete dispensing operations or coordinate with other units to dispensing products simultaneously based on order requirements.

[0020] The specific execution process for the ready-to-eat product packaging sales control method corresponding to this system is as follows: In the first step, during normal system operation, the cloud-based management server continuously receives user orders and periodically collects information such as remaining inventory, aisle temperature, product storage time, and equipment operating parameters for each storage unit within each vending machine, and generates a product quality assessment report. When the product storage time exceeds a preset threshold, a product replacement instruction is sent to the corresponding device.

[0021] The second step involves the system setting up a separate inventory warning standard for each inventory unit. When the cloud detects that the inventory of any inventory unit is lower than the warning value, it immediately sends a replenishment or replacement instruction for the corresponding product to the factory. After the factory uses hot melt packaging equipment to complete the packaging of the corresponding product category, it then completes the targeted delivery and replenishment of goods to the designated locations.

[0022] The third step involves monitoring the operational status of all vending equipment and each shipping unit in the cloud. By combining real-time order volume, ambient temperature, and other data, the system dynamically adjusts the equipment insulation parameters, advertising content, and shipping rules. During peak order periods, the insulation power is increased, while during off-peak periods, the insulation power is reduced to ensure normal equipment operation and the quality of all products.

[0023] Fourth, after the user completes the order, the vending machine starts the corresponding delivery unit's actuator according to the order category, and completes the delivery action by switching the drive motor in forward and reverse directions. After the delivery action is completed, the PLC data actively uploads the delivery details to the cloud, and the cloud simultaneously deducts the corresponding product inventory of the unit. Then the system enters the next cycle of operation.

[0024] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. All modifications, equivalent substitutions, and optimizations made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated packaging and vending system, characterized in that, This includes hot melt packaging equipment, vending equipment, and cloud management servers; The hot melt pressing and packaging equipment is deployed in the production plant to complete the standardized hot melt pressing and flipping packaging operations of ready-to-eat products; The vending equipment is deployed at each sales point and integrates an advertising module, a heating and insulation component, and multiple sets of corresponding storage units and dispensing units. The dispensing unit is equipped with an actuator that can dispense goods in both forward and reverse directions, and can perform dispensing actions individually or in multiple sets simultaneously. The heating and insulation component keeps the goods in each dispensing unit at a constant temperature. The cloud-based management server establishes communication connections with the hot melt pressing packaging equipment and each sales device. It can send scheduling and replenishment instructions to the factory based on the execution data of the terminal PLC, thereby realizing the linkage management between the packaging production process and the terminal sales process.

2. The automated packaging and vending system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hot melt pressing packaging equipment includes a material conveying mechanism, a flipping and sealing mechanism, and a hot melt pressing mechanism. The flipping and sealing mechanism can perform horizontal flipping operations on ready-to-eat products and work with the hot melt pressing mechanism to complete the synchronous sealing of the upper and lower packaging materials.

3. The automated packaging and vending system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The delivery unit's actuator includes a drive motor and a transmission assembly. The drive motor is controlled by a PLC program to switch between forward and reverse rotation, driving both ends of the transmission assembly to complete the transport of goods, thereby achieving delivery.

4. The automated packaging and vending system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cloud-based management server includes an order processing module, an inventory monitoring module, a production scheduling module, and an equipment maintenance module; the order processing module receives user orders and distributes them to the corresponding vending machines. The inventory monitoring module collects inventory data from each inventory unit in real time and sets early warning thresholds; the production scheduling module issues replenishment instructions to the factory control center based on the inventory early warning data, and the hot melt pressing packaging equipment completes the batch packaging of goods; the equipment operation and maintenance module remotely controls the insulation temperature, advertising content and shipping logic of the vending equipment.

5. A method for controlling the packaging and sales of ready-to-eat products based on the automated packaging and sales system of claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The cloud-based management server receives user orders and simultaneously collects inventory data, channel temperature data, and overall equipment operating status data for each group of inventory units recorded by the PLCs of each vending device. S2. The cloud-based management server compares the real-time inventory of each inventory unit with the preset inventory warning threshold. When the inventory of any unit is lower than the threshold, it sends a replenishment instruction for the corresponding product to the factory. The hot melt pressing packaging equipment completes the packaging of the product and delivers it to the corresponding sales point. S3, the cloud-based management server monitors the operating status of all terminal devices in real time, and combines the data collected by PLC to uniformly regulate the equipment operating parameters, insulation temperature, advertising content and the shipping logic of each shipping unit, ensuring that the goods are ready for sale and the equipment operates stably; S4. The vending equipment drives the actuator of the corresponding delivery unit to complete the delivery action according to the order instructions; After shipment is completed, the equipment will send the shipment data back to the cloud management server, and the cloud will update the inventory information of the corresponding inventory unit in real time based on the sent data.

6. The method for controlling the sale of ready-to-eat product packaging according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S1, the cloud-based management server also collects data on the storage time of goods on each vending device and generates a product quality assessment report by combining the temperature zone status data. When the storage time of goods exceeds the preset threshold, a product replacement instruction is sent to the corresponding device.

7. The method for controlling the sale of ready-to-eat product packaging according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S3, the cloud-based management server dynamically adjusts the insulation temperature of each vending device based on order traffic data, increasing the insulation power during peak order periods and decreasing the insulation power during off-peak order periods to achieve energy-saving operation.

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